Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor

Watch this moving video and respond. Do you agree? Do you disagree? What do you like about the video? What do you not like about the video?

This is a bold video, and one that can easily spark debate. But in my History class, I believe that it is very important to stay up-to-date with "current events". This allows my students to watch, listen, and observe - and formulate their own opinion about current issues that surround them every day. So, is it a bold assignment? Yes. Does it cause my students to step out of their comfort zones and stretch their thinking? Yes. And that, is part of my job description.

Honor the Flag

A Day We Can't Forget...

It has been 9 years since the tragic day of September 11, 2001 - a day that has gone down in history and will always be remembered. As an assignment for my students, I asked them to write about that day. What do they remember about it? Where were they when it happened? Did they know anyone that was there, that died, that experienced it? How did it effect them? Such a tragic day needs to be remembered and discussed to not lose sight of how it not only effected the people in New York that day, but how it effected our country and how the effects still echo today.

Don't be a Control Freak....

Being in a classroom with high school students all day... you learn very quickly that you cannot control everything!! These are almost 18 year old students that are just dying to be "free" and make their own decisions, and many days, they do...in the classroom! But, as a teacher, we cannot get stuck in that mind set that we are suppose to and have to control their every thought, response, and motivation to do good in our class! The authors of Asking Better Questions remind us that "you can't control thinking, your job is to generate thinking." We can't control the seniors who are bursting at the seams to get out of school, we can't control the juniors who are so anxious to be in the seniors shoes, and we can't control the sophomores who are just trying to figure everything out and fit in! But...we can control our ability to teach to the best of our ability every day. We can strive to motivate and spark interest and thought in the classroom, rather we have a room full of seniors, juniors, or sophomores!

What makes a good teacher?

There are many definitions of what it means to be considered a "good teacher"... Some say a good teacher is someone who makes learning fun, or someone who connects with students and keeps their attention. I really liked the way authors Morgan and Saxton described what their opinion was of what it meant to be a "good teacher" in their book Asking Better Questions. They said "a good teacher capitalizes on the innate feeling by attracting, maintaining, and satisfying the attention of learners while giving them something worthwhile to think about."

I Wanna Be...

I have been a substitute teacher for the past year, and have started yet another journey as a substitute teacher this year. As a sub, you learn pretty quickly that when you walk into a teacher's classroom, it doesn't take long to find out how their students view them as a teacher. I believe that student's reflect the standards and practices of the teacher. In other words, I feel that if a teacher has set the standard high for classroom behavior, the students will continue to live up to that standard, even in the absence of their teacher. So when I walk into a classroom and the students are not as "behaved" as I would prefer, it makes me wonder about the teacher. Another example that I hear quite often when students are assigned work in class, is "we never do anything in this class" or "this class is a joke". Maybe comments like that make me frustrated so much, because I have been searching for a teacher job for over a year, and have promised myself, that when I find one, I will not take my job lightly or make my class "a joke".

It is our duty and responsibility as teachers, to make the most out of our time with students. Why call yourself a teacher if you are not going to carry out the duties of a teacher?

So, this I guess could be a part of my profile.... I am a teacher, who promises to make the most of my time with students when I am blessed with the opportunity to educate and impact lives.

Making Sense of History...

I read somewhere today that "Students begin to make more sense of history when they they use facts to help them understand important changes people have experienced and how changes contribute to problems people confront. Learning about these changes helps students better understand human society and what we have to deal with today." (Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learners, Doug Buehl)